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On 8 Feb 2011, at 16:05, Anthony Cummins wrote: I can offer some possible explanatations for this older pattern viz a teenage girl is more likely to suffer from symptoms of UTI or to attend for contraception advice, sometimes using an acute respiratory infection as her "vehicle". I am at a loss to explain the younger gender difference. Boys are more favoured as children generally. There is a tendency in many countries for boys to be breastfed more than girls (see http://ipl.econ.duke.edu/bread/papers/0909conf/Jayachandran.pdf for example) or to be breastfed for longer. In a cursory search, it seems that boys are likely to get antibiotics first at a younger age than girls (see http://www.whale.to/drugs/two.html for example) suggesting that parents are more likely to take action when a boy child develops symptoms. Beir bua, a Antóin! Ronán Conroy [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Associate Professor Division of Population Health Sciences Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Beaux Lane House Dublin 2